Mother of man set to hang in Singapore urges PM to intercede

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqpnu2NZvqyEy-48aC1_EitChviCGCQq2nTYyOXaHGD4x53Sy6qmQyMF8rsPUzqKWzn4Tg3UOryfb1-jk5JC1CoottTud-_yIunF8JgDmU57_1VNguHdi42IoBs50rPdxDbx3U9M5A7Y/s1600/prabagaran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Prabagaran Srivijayan" border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqpnu2NZvqyEy-48aC1_EitChviCGCQq2nTYyOXaHGD4x53Sy6qmQyMF8rsPUzqKWzn4Tg3UOryfb1-jk5JC1CoottTud-_yIunF8JgDmU57_1VNguHdi42IoBs50rPdxDbx3U9M5A7Y/s400/prabagaran.jpg" title="Prabagaran Srivijayan" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prabagaran Srivijayan</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A woman today pleaded with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intercede on behalf of her son, Prabagaran Srivijayan, who was convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore and sentenced to die.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">V. Eswary, 54, said in an open letter to the PM that she was told her 29-year-old son received an "unfair trial".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that the car he drove when he was arrested did not belong to him, but to a friend who lent it to Prabagaran. Prabagaran only used the car as he was afraid his motorcycle would be repossessed due to delinquent payments.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Prabagaran was caught by the police because there was 'stuff' in the car," Eswary said in the letter read out by a representative at a press conference here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I was told by the lawyers that the proceedings and trial in Prabagaran's case were unfair. All his cases in the Singapore courts were rejected," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eswary said she last met her son on Monday, when he broke down and maintained his innocence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"He's always cries, saying he didn't do it and said he is being forced to admit," Eswary added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the Berita Daily news portal, Prabagaran was arrested in 2012 after 22.24g of diamorphine, a banned opiate was discovered wrapped in 2 bundles in the centre console of the car he drove at the Woodlands Checkpoint.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was convicted in 2014 and given the death sentence that is mandated by the republic's drug laws.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Concerns about possible unfairness in the trial arose when it emerged that the conviction was secured without the testimony of 2 purportedly key witnesses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prabagaran has exhausted all legal avenues to appeal his conviction in Singapore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His case was taken up by M. Ravi who professed to be an international human rights advocate and established the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ravi is working with Malaysian lawyers Latheefa Koya and N. Surendran to urge Putrajaya to try and stop Prabagaran's execution.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the press conference, Ravi said that he submitted a memorandum to the Malaysian government via its consulate in Singapore on December 22, but has not received any response despite being promised one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The memorandum was in relation Singapore's obligation to uphold the right to a fair trial.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said that the Malaysian government could file an immediate complaint with the International Court of Justice on Prabagaran's case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I think Singapore, in my respectful opinion, will abide by the decision," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ravi later told Malay Mail Online that he was a former lawyer who had previously represented Prabagaran in the Singapore courts.</div><br />Source: themalaymailonline.com, January 11, 2017<br /><br /><br /><h2>2 drug pushers sentenced to death in Malaysia</h2><br />The High Court here sentenced 2 men to death for trafficking 745.6gm and 52.1gm of syabu respectively on Wednesday.<br /><br />High Court Judge Datuk Nurchaya Arshad delivered the sentence on Andy Majudil, 35, a local, and Mohd Noor Jumat, 38, a Brunei national after finding that the prosecution had proven its case.<br /><br />They appeared calm upon hearing the verdict.<br /><br />Andy and Noor were found guilty of committing the offence at a house in Taman Nelly, Inanam at 9.30pm on Nov 19, 2013.<br /><br />They were convicted under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act which carries the death penalty upon conviction.<br /><br />Andy and Mohd Noor had on Nov 29, last year, respectively gave unsworn statements in their defence.<br /><br />They were represented by counsel Ram Singh and Datuk Seri Rakhbir Singh respectively, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Farah Farriza Wan Ghazali appeared for the prosecution.<br /><br />Source: thestar.com.my, January 11, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Mother of man set to hang in Singapore urges PM to intercede

Prabagaran Srivijayan A woman today pleaded with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intercede on behalf of her son, Prabagaran Srivija...

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Expanding number of Australians potentially facing execution for drug smuggling in Asian countries

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1yYtKTaJud9qmNaZwcof388MVpewV6L9SI-SCyZ49hAZ58ztN7o5ZlFp71fVAFLXDKAJWIvJkmm9xvknbeH8nkvwW5qJGNTxwUOxShpjMFs72_e9fUX_JU3cu4bw-oKpSA6uDObDwd8/s1600/Return+to+Paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot from "Return to Paradise" by Joseph Ruben, 1998" border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1yYtKTaJud9qmNaZwcof388MVpewV6L9SI-SCyZ49hAZ58ztN7o5ZlFp71fVAFLXDKAJWIvJkmm9xvknbeH8nkvwW5qJGNTxwUOxShpjMFs72_e9fUX_JU3cu4bw-oKpSA6uDObDwd8/s400/Return+to+Paradise.jpg" title="Screenshot from "Return to Paradise" by Joseph Ruben, 1998" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/" target="_blank">Return to Paradise</a>" by Joseph Ruben, 1998</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Death by firing squad, hanging or lethal injection are the possible fates of an expanding number of Australians who could face execution for drug smuggling in Asian countries. <br /><br />Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said that the number of Australians on death row around the world was 17, with more than half detained in China and the others in countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. <br /><br />On Wednesday, DFAT refused to reveal just how many Australians are on death row in several Asian countries. <br /><br />However, last year's total of 17 is believed to have grown, following the arrest of 2 women in Vietnam allegedly with large amounts of heroin. <br /><br />DFAT did reveal 36 of the 40 Australians in custody in Vietnam were on drug charges, but would only say "a number of these face the death penalty". <br /><br />Vietnam applies the death penalty is cases of trafficking of 100 grams of heroin or more, replacing firing squads with lethal injection 3 years ago. <br /><br />Australian Nguyen Thi Huong who was sentenced to execution has had her death penalty commuted to life, which means the 73-year-old will die in a Ho Chi Min prison. <br /><br />Peter Gardner was arrested with Sydney woman, Kalynda Davis who was later released by Chinese prison authorities without charge. <br /><br />But a second Australian woman aged 37, who was arrested in Vietnam in June this year, has yet to be publicly named but will face death by lethal injection if convicted. <br /><br />DFAT media would only say that 77 Australians are under arrest, detention or in prison in China, and 17 of those are on drug charges. <br /><br />Under China's drug laws, anyone convicted of possessing more than 50g of heroin or methamphetamines can be sentenced to death. The Chinese government uses lethal injection and the firing squad, with the latter more common for drug crimes. <br /><br />Australian/New Zealand dual national Peter Gardner is expected to learn his fate in late January when a Guangzhou Court may deliver its verdict on his case. <br /><br />Gardner, 27, was arrested at Guangzhou airport in November 2014 with Australian woman Kalynda Davis. <br /><br />Davis was later freed without charge, but Gardner was indicted for allegedly attempting to smuggle a massive 30kg of methamphetamine from China to Australia. <br /><br />Australian grandmother Nguyen Thi Huong had 2.8kg of heroin in soap bars. <br /><br />At least 4 other Australians are believed to have received death sentences, or suspended death sentences in China, which may be commuted to life imprisonment. <br /><br />The conditions in Chinese prisons are harsh, with 15 prisoners sharing a 6m x 3m cell, taking turns on a sleeping platform and sharing a single open toilet. <br /><br />Australian woman Maria Exposto faced charges in court last month in Malaysia, which strictly imposes mandatory death by hanging for those possessing 15g of heroin or 40g of cocaine. <br /><br />Malaysia has hanged three Australians for drug trafficking, Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers in 1986 and Michael McAuliffe in 1993. <br /><br />Australian man Van Tuong Nguyen hanged in Singapore in 2005. Indonesia executed Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. <br /><br />China has also cracked down on people carrying drugs to be sold for profit rather than for personal use. <br /><br /></div><h3>PETER GARDNER, 27 </h3><br />Charge: Attempt to smuggle 30kg methamphetamine in suitcases on Sydney flight at Guangzhou airport in November 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Dual Australian and New Zealand citizen, Peter Gardner was arrested with his then girlfriend, Sydney promotions representative Kalynda Davis, at Guangzhou Airport in November 2014. <br /><br />Gardner allegedly tried to board a Sydney flight with Davis and two suitcases full of 3kg of ice worth $20 million in bags. <br /><br />Guangzhou authorities say the suitcases, which were superglued, contained the biggest haul of methamphetamine recorded at the airport. <br /><br />Davis' policeman father made a mercy dash to China and his daughter was released without charge and sent home in December. <br /><br />But Gardner has been languishing in a Guangzhou prison since. <br /><br />Gardner told a Guangzhou court earlier this year that he thought the suitcases contained the performance enhancing sport drugs, peptides, and that this was "the biggest mistake of my life". <br /><br />He reportedly faces another hearing in January 2017, at which he may learn whether he will be convicted and sentenced to death. <br /><br /><h3>PHAM TRUNG DUNG, 37 </h3><br />Charge: Smuggling 4kg heroin in suitcases onto a Sydney-bound flight <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/ Lethal injection <br /><br />Dung was discovered with more than 4kg of heroin in 2 suitcases as he boarded a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Australia in May 2013. <br /><br />Dung told a Ho Chi Minh City court that he had been living in Australia with his partner and 2 sons and was made an offer he couldn't refuse. <br /><br />An unidentified man paid him $40,000 to transport the drugs back to Australia and deliver them to an acquaintance. <br /><br />Sentenced to death in June 2014, Dung may appeal but faces lethal injection. <br /><br />Death by hanging could be the fate of Maria Exposto for trafficking 1.1kg of ice if a Malaysian court convicts the Melbourne woman. <br /><br /><h3>MARIA ELVIRA PINTO EXPOSTO, 52 </h3><br />Charge: 1.1kg methamphetamine in 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: Malaysia/ Hanging <br /><br />Sydney grandmother Maria Exposto was stopped at the Kuala Lumpur airport customs desk on December 7, 2014. <br /><br />Exposto was in transit from Shanghai and about to catch a Malaysian Airlines flight to Melbourne. <br /><br />Customs officer Mohd Noor Nashariq scanned her bag and allegedly found 1.1kg of methamphetamine secreted in a hand stitched compartment. <br /><br />In Malaysia, death by hanging is mandatory for anyone convicted of carrying more than 50g of drugs. <br /><br />Exposto has maintained her innocence since her arrest, claiming she travelled to Shanghai for romance with a man claiming to be a US serviceman, but who turned out to be a scammer. <br /><br />She says a stranger duped her into carrying a backpack, which she believed was full of clothes, not drugs, to Melbourne. <br /><br />Customs officers found the ice stitched into the pack. <br /><br />Exposto faced hearings at the Shah Alam High Court last month but no decision has been made as to her verdict or fate. <br /><br /><h3>NGUYEN THI HUONG, 73 </h3><br />Charge: Boarding a December 2014 flight for Sydney with 2.8kg of heroin hidden in 36 bars of soap <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/ Lethal injection <br /><br />Sentenced to death by lethal injection in June this year after the Ho Chi Minh City People???s Court found her guilty of attempting to smuggle 2.8kg of heroin in bars of soap 2 years ago. <br /><br />Huong said a woman gave her the soap and she planned to take them back to Australia as gifts for family. <br /><br />She said she did not know it contained heroin, but the Ho Chi Minh City court rejected her defence in a half day trial. <br /><br />Late last month, the People's High Court reduced the great grandmother???s death sentence to life in prison, which means she will die in Chi Hoa prison, which is infamous for its harsh and squalid conditions. <br /><br /><h3>UNNAMED AUSTRALIAN WOMAN, 37 </h3><br />Charge: Trafficking 4.8kg of heroin in her luggage. <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/Lethal injection <br /><br />Arrested in June this year, the 37-year-old Australian of Vietnamese origin was detained at Tan Son Nhut Airport in the southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City. <br /><br />Officials claim they found nearly 5kg of heroin hidden in picture frames in her luggage. <br /><br />The woman allegedly told officers she was paid $33,500 to transport the heroin to Australia. <br /><br />She has yet to face trial, but Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws and trafficking even small amounts of heroin is punishable by death. <br /><br />Queensland man Ibrahim Jalloh is reportedly awaiting trial in China on drug charges. <br /><br /><h3>BENGALI SHERRIF AND IBRAHIM JALLOH </h3><br />Charge: in June 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Chinese officials arrested the 2 young men from Queensland at Guangzhou airport in June 2014 in possession of methamphetamine. <br /><br />Sherrif has received a "suspended" death sentence, but the outcome is uncertain. <br /><br />Jalloh, who has an intellectual disability, has received a suspended death sentence, which may be commuted to life in prison. <br /><br /><h3>HENRY CHHIN </h3><br />Charge: concealing 270g of methamphetamine in computer equipment in May 2004/ 700g of meth in furniture in 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Shanghai police intercepted 270g of ice concealed in computer equipment which they alleged Chhin tried to send from China to Australia in 2005. <br /><br />Chhin was sentenced to death and his sentence was suspended for 2 years. <br /><br />But Shenzen police uncovered a further 700g of meth in cabinets at Chhin's residence, and his fate is currently unclear. <br /><br /><h3>ANTHONY BANNISTER, 43 </h3><br />Charge: Attempt to smuggle 3kg of methamphetamine to Australia <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Former Adelaide jockey Bannister was arrested at Guangzhou International Airport in March 2014. <br /><br />Customs officers claim they found 3kg of methamphetamine in envelopes inside 8 handbags in his luggage. <br /><br />Bannister claims he was set up by online conmen who convinced him he could obtain a lucrative divorce settlement from his former wife. <br /><br />Bannister's lawyer told a court that he was given a suitcase containing women's handbags to take back to Australia as a favour. <br /><br />Given a suspended death sentence, he may end up with life in a Chinese prison, but is appealing his conviction. <br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/aussies-on-death-row-for-drugs-in-asian-countries-grows/news-story/1e90e472b139606a5fba985b8cc66b87" target="_blank">abs.com.au</a>, December 16, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" 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Expanding number of Australians potentially facing execution for drug smuggling in Asian countries

Screenshot from " Return to Paradise " by Joseph Ruben, 1998 Death by firing squad, hanging or lethal injection are the possible f...

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Artist Ben Quilty on his Bali Nine friend and student Myuran Sukumaran

<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9TmpnfhTDGmO72WvIGIpMddgcZp0TzYaHJdMSKYdTfrYsRUnnvv6gLR0kZD0hoIl4Y96kb5oMEMatSH9cQVj8bkNGPXBJg7E5SrXeg7CKe4tdDZEKZyeWAPTLXudMbi3PlAvR_iKBXU/s1600/Australian+artist+Ben+Quilty+teaches+Sukumaran+to+paint+in+Kerobokan+Prison-+Photo+by+Jason+Childs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Myuran Sukumaran (left) and Ben Quilty in Kerobokan's art workshop" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9TmpnfhTDGmO72WvIGIpMddgcZp0TzYaHJdMSKYdTfrYsRUnnvv6gLR0kZD0hoIl4Y96kb5oMEMatSH9cQVj8bkNGPXBJg7E5SrXeg7CKe4tdDZEKZyeWAPTLXudMbi3PlAvR_iKBXU/s400/Australian+artist+Ben+Quilty+teaches+Sukumaran+to+paint+in+Kerobokan+Prison-+Photo+by+Jason+Childs.jpg" title="Myuran Sukumaran (left) and Ben Quilty in Kerobokan's art workshop" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myuran Sukumaran (left) and Ben Quilty in Kerobokan prison's art workshop</td></tr></tbody></table>On November 10, 2012, three days after Julia Gillard flew to Bali to chair a democracy forum with her Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mary Farrow went on Facebook to send a message to the Australian artist Ben Quilty. Farrow was a supporter of Myuran Sukumaran, the Bali Nine drug smuggler who had applied for presidential clemency four months earlier. Sukumaran, then 31, was facing death. His application said he had been “working to better himself” behind bars.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Farrow didn’t know Quilty personally, but had seen his Archibald Prize-winning portrait of Margaret Olley and thought she’d try her luck. So she explained how Sukumaran had taken up painting at Indonesia’s Kerobokan Pri­s­on, and how it was the “challenge of a lifetime”. He was going to enter a portrait of his lawyer, Julian McMahon, into the Archibald, even though he wouldn’t be eligible because he hadn’t lived in Australia during the previous 12 months. He had, of course, been locked up in Kerobokan since his arrest in 2005. Sukumaran had found “peace and salvation” in art, Fallow said, but he needed some “constructive advice”. “Could that be you or someone you know?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A few days later, Quilty sent a message back: “I will help.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Were it not for the Bali Nine, Quilty may never have travelled to Bali. Based in the NSW southern highlands, his adventures abroad tend to follow a certain pattern. In 2003, he travelled to Paris after winning the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship. In 2007, he spent four months in Spain on an Australia Council residency. Four years later he found himself working in Afghanistan, an official war artist for the Australian War Memorial. And earlier this year he joined Richard Flanagan in Lebanon, Greece and Serbia, documenting the exodus of Syrian refugees. But Bali? It wasn’t his thing. “It’s not for me to go to a Third World country and get massages,” Quilty says. “Never has been.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That Facebook message, though, had made Quilty curious. Like so many others in Australia, he had followed the case of the Bali Nine as it played out in front of the cameras. The fate of the nine young Australians had seemed inevitable from the moment of their arrest in April 2005, trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia. Denpansar judges handed down their sentences less than a year later. While seven of the nine were ordered to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, a harsher sentence awaited the pair seen to have leadership roles: death by firing squad for Sukumaran, the “enforcer”, along with his friend, the “godfather” Andrew Chan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For Quilty, there was something else that caught his attention. It’s common for artists who have achieved success to be pestered for advice, and he usually recommends a combination of hard work and art school. In this instance, though, there were encouraging signs. Sukumaran was also especially hungry to learn. He was interested in “thick paint”, and this resonated with Quilty, himself an impasto specialist.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“That’s why I engaged,” he says. “The questions he asked very clearly showed that he’d made some progress and that he’d tried, and I thought it was just so remarkable that someone in that circumstance was trying. It was also against the notion that I had of him. I’d only heard the press of him being this evil monster, the enforcer. So I just decided to go there and meet him.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 18 months have now passed since Sukumaran’s execution, and Quilty still stirs with passion and anger about the loss of his friend. As he looks back on those transformative years, recalling all the highs and the terrible lows, there’s also a distinct sense of admiration for Sukumaran’s achievements and character — especially now, on the eve of a new exhibition in Sydney dedicated to the work of a man who entered prison as a criminal and left it as an artist. “It’s a refuge,” Quilty says. “For me, that’s what art is.”</div><b><br /></b><b>➤ <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/artist-ben-quilty-on-his-bali-nine-friend-and-student-myuran-sukumaran/news-story/a27f9bef7742102aff621dc28df40d26" target="_blank">Click here to read the full article</a></b><br /><br />Source: The Australian, Ashley Wilson, December 17, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Artist Ben Quilty on his Bali Nine friend and student Myuran Sukumaran

Myuran Sukumaran (left) and Ben Quilty in Kerobokan prison's art workshop On November 10, 2012, three days after Julia Gillard flew to B...

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Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter a frequent traveler, gov’t records show

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBs_MfAbe3kjxKN4IKhwC7EtiE-zEFdTFShIizHe4vj7PH_0cQkmMT7LniCGIih51HrQL3nOIzJcgApqRIp5rKqtvG5ftJ3MOr4alnru5RLJJE480Rv1S2kdbGEsjjUxhyiZbvt0PHzE/s1600/Maria+Kristina+Sergio+and+Julius+Lacanilao%252C+the+recruiters+of+Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso " border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBs_MfAbe3kjxKN4IKhwC7EtiE-zEFdTFShIizHe4vj7PH_0cQkmMT7LniCGIih51HrQL3nOIzJcgApqRIp5rKqtvG5ftJ3MOr4alnru5RLJJE480Rv1S2kdbGEsjjUxhyiZbvt0PHzE/s400/Maria+Kristina+Sergio+and+Julius+Lacanilao%252C+the+recruiters+of+Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" title="Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso " width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of M. J. Veloso </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Maria Kristina Sergio’s travel records revealed that she went abroad five times in 2008, 14 times in 2009, nine times in 2010 and twice in 2011.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">MANILA – Lawyers of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina on death row in Indonesia, said one of her recruiters appears to be a “frequent traveler” based on government data from 2008 to 2011 which were presented at the hearing today, Dec. 15, before a Nueva Ecija court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maria Kristina Sergio, whom Mary Jane’s family has charged with qualified human trafficking in person, illegal recruitment, and estafa, travelled abroad 30 times in a span of three years, as shown by records from the Bureau of Immigration (BI).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Kinda frequent flyer for someone who claims to be indigent and purportedly cannot afford the services of private counsel. It is a ruse to complete her contrived defense,” Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said in his Facebook post.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The NUPL is representing Mary Jane and her family in the case against accused Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao. Both are also facing charges of large-scale syndicated illegal recruitment filed by three women who surfaced at the height of the campaign to save Mary Jane from the gallows.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">NUPL secretary general Ephraim Cortez said BI records verifier Angelito Lopez took the witness stand and who presented Sergio’s travel records, which revealed that she went abroad five times in 2008, 14 times in 2009, nine times in 2010 and twice in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cortez added that the defense lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office “tried to block the presentation of the travel record, insofar as the travels made prior to April 21, 2010 are concerned, arguing these are not relevant” but the court agreed to the presentation of Sergio’s travel record.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mary Jane’s former husband Michael Candelaria also took the witness stand today for the continuation of his direct-examination and cross-examination. Cortez said Candelaria “stood his ground despite attempts of the defense counsel to discredit his credibility and testimony and survived cross examination unscathed.”<br /><br /><h3>$400</h3></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last Nov. 10, Candelaria first took the witness stand and narrated how Mary Jane was recruited by Sergio and Lacanilao and that they paid the couple P20,000 ($400). He said he brought Mary Jane to the bus station after they handed the money to the accused.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apart from Candelaria, other members of Mary Jane’s family, including her sister Maritess Laurente and mother Celia Veloso, had already taken the witness stand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As far as the NUPL is concerned, the only “remaining material witness” in the charges filed against the accused is that of Mary Jane’s.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheabO_2q10e8KfAG3NAbfrbw7F1650A97ZJuqiyz7-hhVw_HlM5FNgiVZgoyHpoh5NP1cm2subUtQPEeEcIqyZi7Idzmh9-2HFqr9rVCg0i3fRhMQPiGXbbtyrWhyW_dOqoqUBM6lV79A/s1600/Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheabO_2q10e8KfAG3NAbfrbw7F1650A97ZJuqiyz7-hhVw_HlM5FNgiVZgoyHpoh5NP1cm2subUtQPEeEcIqyZi7Idzmh9-2HFqr9rVCg0i3fRhMQPiGXbbtyrWhyW_dOqoqUBM6lV79A/s400/Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" title="Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking</td></tr></tbody></table>Sto. Domingo Regional Trial Court Branch 88, which is presided over by Judge Anarica Castillo Reyes, has already granted the prosecution’s motion to allow deposition by written interrogatories in order to secure Mary Jane’s testimony. This will be conducted by the Philippine consul, in accordance with the Rules of Court in the Philippines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The same court has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the lawyers of the accused. Defense lawyers also filed a motion to defer the filing of their comment on the written interrogatories submitted by prosecution as they intent to file a Petition for Certiorari before the Court of Appeals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the hearing today, the prosecution lawyers were given five days to file its comment or opposition to the new motion filed by the defense.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The written interrogatories would be the first time for Mary Jane to tell about her ordeal, as the Indonesian justice system did not allow such. She remains in prison in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, almost two years since her scheduled execution was stayed at dawn of April 29, 2015 amid national and international outcry about her being a victim of human trafficking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The case is again set for hearing on Feb. 23, March 9, April 27, May 18 and June 22.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://bulatlat.com/main/2016/12/15/mary-janes-recruiter-frequent-traveler-govt-records-show/" target="_blank">blutalat.com</a>, Jonas Alpasan, December 15, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter a frequent traveler, gov’t records show

Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of M. J. Veloso Maria Kristina Sergio’s travel records revealed that she went...

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